Soften it with chalk. Chalkboard paint is an easy and quick way to add some dark drama to a room. It actually creates quite a soft aesthetic as the paint is incredibly matte. Give it a go – you can always draw some white pictures on it if it's too much!

This navy and pink room belongs to the youngest daughter – who was 3 at the time. Keim wanted to design a space that would reflect the girl's sweet and energetic personality and fit the style of the rest of the home. Keim and the girl's mother both fell in love with the wallpaper which dictated the rest of the room's style and color palette. The client trusted Keim so she was given a lot of room to experiment. While she played around with color and pattern she carefully choose the furniture so that it would last each girl into her teens and beyond. "I would use those pieces!" she says. The family's 10‐year‐old daughter loves turquoise so Keim chose a complementary shade of peachy‐orange to help it stand out. "As with most jobs I take their favorite color and make it the accent color " says Keim. "It usually pops more that way." A custom headboard grass cloth wall covering patterned pillows and classic lamps add visual texture and depth to the vibrant space. The tree bookcase was especially exciting for the daughter and she also loves the special pencil set on her desk. The vintage chair was reupholstered in scraps from Keim's showroom for an eclectic one‐of‐a‐kind piece. The girls share a large study a playroom and closets outside of the bedrooms so Keim didn't have to integrate a lot of storage or play space into these rooms.

Air plants and succulents are having a real moment in design and they have the benefit of being easy to care for. If you and your teen are in the mood to tackle a crafty project I love this DIY air plant terrarium tutorial on Houzz. It's chic and easy the best combination! Update the homework zone. Ground the work area with a creative and useful chalkboard wall or include a large bulletin board for pinning up lists photos and inspiration. Pay attention to the ergonomics of the space as well making sure the chair and desk are at the right height. Good task lighting is essential and any additional storage you can squeeze into the space will help maintain order. At least consider a small filing crate and a basket for recycling. Add an entryway. In my experience most messes come from the junk we put down as soon as we enter a space. Help prevent the big chaotic pileup before it begins with a few preventative measures: A coat tree or wall hooks will hopefully keep those coats and bags off the floor and a dresser or table placed near the door can be a drop zone for mail keys and other odds and ends. Provide hangout space. If you have the room bring in a retired couch from the basement or attic. If space is tight try a fluffy area rug with a few big floor cushions instead. Add an unexpected touch. Every room should have something that immediately catches your eye or makes you smile and your teen's room is no exception. Make the room glow with a cluster of cheap and chic paper lanterns scoop up a funky neon sign or a vintage marquee letter at the flea market or frame a portrait of a favorite pet. Give hobbies and interests pride of place.

Traditional brown furniture Moroccan rug. A redbrick fireplace is quite traditional and the tones tend to go well with dark wood furniture and rich leather. But if you want to shake things up a bit try rolling out a fluffy Moroccan‐style rug beneath it all and paint the walls a pale shade of "greige". The creamy tones work with the brick and leather while giving the traditional style a current twist.

Rice paper lantern and kids' art wall. Easy affordable rice paper pendant lights come in a wide range of sizes and create a lovely glow when lit. A wall with casually taped‐up children's artwork and simple white walls and chairs add up to a welcoming space where creativity can shine.

Envision a deeply restorative space. The best way to begin any design project is with a clear vision of your hopes for the end result. Take a moment to ponder what your ideal bedroom space would look like and how it would feel – the scent the textures the sounds. Create as clear a picture as you possibly can and hold that in your mind as you move forward with the project. Clean the air. Air quality affects health and wellness and poor air quality can impact sleep. The easiest way to clean the air in your bedroom is simply to open your windows. Commit to letting fresh air into your bedroom for at least 10 minutes each day and the air quality is sure to improve. To take it a step further you may want to add several potted plants and an air purifier. Limit technology and remove emotional clutter. When you visualized your ideal bedroom I'd wager that it wasn't filled with clutter or the tangle of wires dangling from your laptop. Giving yourself a break from tech devices at night will help promote deeper rest and is probably a good idea healthwise as well. Also take a moment to consider the things you have stored in your bedroom. Are there boxes of bills and paperwork that make your stomach knot each time you see them? Piles of clothes that no longer fit workout tools you don't use or photos of friends you have a tense relationship with? All of these things can contribute to stress and insomnia so out they must go. Clean thoroughly and naturally. Often our bedrooms fall way down to the bottom of our cleaning to‐do list simply because not many others have to see these private spaces.

Solo ledge. When there's ample shelving and storage elsewhere in the house it can make more sense to keep things simple around the fireplace. The single shelf in this living room is enough to add some chic coastal style with accessories.

Enough's enough. Take care not to plan for more shelves than you need. Asian‐style homes tend to display only the most thoughtfully selected items so simple modern shelves that frame this fireplace top and bottom suit the space perfectly. Consider downlights as a way to give those display items pride of place.

Oversize art. If you have a large expanse of brick to cover – a fireplace that reaches all the way to a high ceiling for instance – artwork is a great way to break it up. As long as your brick is not a really bright red most artwork should work with it. If you are unsure try bringing a clear photograph of your fireplace with you when you're looking for art and check if you can bring the piece home on a trial basis before committing to buy it.

Once I've worked with the client to pick the collage of materials for the kitchen we lay these out to focus on paint color. The reason this phase often comes bit later is that the kitchen might be under construction and still have the old paint color on the walls. The floors may be covered in that pinkish‐red rosin paper which can affect the look of the color on the walls.